Duck call



' May 3,1938. E. E. BEACH ET AL DUCK CALL Filed Aug. 4, 1957 Zinventora' M m A. 0 M

Patented May 3, 1938 UNITED STATES DUCK OALL Everett E. Beach and Albert O Arnold", Kansas Cit Application August 4, 1937, Serial No. 157,294

3 Claims.

This invention relates to duck calls, in other words, a device imitating the sound of a duck and our object is to produce a device of this character which is readily portable and may be placed on any supporting surface or held in the hand when it is being sounded.

Another object of the invention is to produce a device of this kind which is housed and protected from rough usage since it involves the employment of a relatively delicate or easily ruptured bellows.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device of this general character which may be easily and quickly assembled and is of strong, durable, eflicient and inexpensive construction; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a duck call embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a central vertical section taken through the device.

Figure 3 is a cross section through the device with a sealing member partially broken away to more clearly show a part of the serpentine sounding passageway in one of the end blocks.

Figure 4 is an inverted plan view of the opposite side of the end block shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the reed holder.

In the said drawing, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the figures, the bellows operating device comprises a pair of end blocks I and 2, connected by a flexible relatively air tight bellows 3, said blocks being urged in opposite directions by an expansion spring 4. The end block I is provided with a projecting operating stem 5.

The other end block 2 is provided in its inner face (inside the bellows), with a central well 6 in which is a sounding reed holder 1 having a sound-reed 8. Communicating with the central well 6 is a curved groove 9 forming an air passageway when it is sealed on its open side by a sealing gasket or disk Ill. The end of the passageway 9 is connected by a transverse passage I through the block, communicating with a second curved groove l2 on the outer face of the end block 2. The second groove terminates in a central well or depression l3.

The device is adapted to rest on a base member 14 which is provided with a central well or opening I5 to register with the well l3 in the outer face of the end block 2, and said base well I5 is connected by a cross passage l6 leading through a side or sides of the base at right angles to the side having the well l3. With this construction it is evident that the upper face of the base l4 cooperates with the curved groove I2 in the outer face of the end' block 2 to form a serpentine air passageway in the outer face similar to that in the inner face of the block.

To hold the device in proper cooperative relation to the base and at the same time to protect it against accidental injury, the bellows is'received within a cylindrical housing member ll of proper siZe to maintain the two wells l3 and I5, in the block and in the base, in register with each other. The housing I! is removably secured to the base M. The closed end of the housing is formed with an opening through which the operating stem 5 projects.

In the operation of the device, it may be rested on any supporting surface without danger of sealing the air inlet and outlet passageway. Pressure on the stem 5 leads to the outflow of air and the sounding of the reed 8, which similates a duck. When the pressure on the bellows is released, the spring causes the bellows to expand to its original position.

From the above description it will be apparent that we have produced a construction embodying all of the features of advantage set forth as desirable, and while we have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment, we reserve the right to all changes within the spirit of the invention and without the ambit of the prior art.

We claim:

1. A duck call comprising a pair of end blocks, a flexible bellows connecting said end blocks, one of the end blocks being formed with a serpentine passageway leading from inside the bellows to an external open central well in its opposite side, a sounding reed secured at the inside end of the passageway, and the other end block being formed with a projecting operating stem, a spring within the bellows for urging said end blocks in opposite directions, a base member having a central well registering with the external well in the firstmentioned end block and having an air exhaust and inlet passage leading angularly from the central well through an adjacent side of the base member, and a housing secured to the base and surrounding the bellows and having an opening through which the operating stem of the end block projects.

2. A duck call comprising a base member formed with a central well in one side and a passage leading angularly from said well through another side of the base member, a cylindrical housing detachably secured to the base in axial alinement with the first-named well, and a duck sounding bellows member within and centered by the housing, said member comprising a pair of end blocks urged in opposite directions by a spring and a flexible bellows connecting the end blocks in air-tight relation, an operating stem on one end block projecting through an opening in the housing, the other end. block being formed with a serpentine sounding passageway leading from inside the bellows and terminating in a central well registering with the base well, and a sounding reed at one end of said serpentine passageway.

3. A duck call comprising a base member formed with a central well in one side and a passage leading angularly from said well through another side of the base member, a duck sounding bellows member mounted on the base, and comprising a pair of end blocks urged in opposite directions by a spring and a flexible bellows connecting the blocks in air-tight relation, one end block having its opposite faces formed with a pair of wells, communicating with a pair of circular grooves in the opposite faces of the block, with the ends of the grooves connected by a transverse passage through the block, a sounding reed in the inner well and the outer well registering with the base well, and a gasket sealing the inner groove to produce a curved air passage, the outer groove being similarly sealed by the base member.

EVERETT E. BEACH. ALBERT O. ARNOLD. 

